


Take the midnight train

by sabrina



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Age difference cause vampire, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Vampire Slayer, Hux is 18, M/M, Rae Sloane is around doing small things in the background but not as a speaking character so much, This is what happens when you give me cemetery as a setting apparently, snark and sass
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-25
Updated: 2018-02-02
Packaged: 2019-02-06 19:25:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 14,299
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12824394
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sabrina/pseuds/sabrina
Summary: Every vampire slayer knows that Dracula is absurdly and irresponsibly romanticized, which should make Dracula-obsessed vampire Kylo Ren totally uninteresting to Armitage Hux.  If only this were the case.





	1. Distraction

**Author's Note:**

> So back in October I used a plot generator to give me a prompt to write a 'quick Kylux thing'. I should know better than 'quick Kylux thing' because I think nearly every time I've started with that, what was going to be 4000 words, turns into 12k without my really even trying to do so. 
> 
> The generator gave me:  
> Setting: Cemetery  
> Genre: Romantic Comedy  
> Trope: Superheroes/Superpowers  
> Prompt: Huddling for warmth  
> Kink: Exhibitionism 
> 
> And thus Vampire Slayer AU Kylux was born.

"Get off me." 

"You're cold." 

"I'm not cold, I'm fine."

"You're shivering and there are goosebumps up your arms." 

"That's because you're as cold as that stone slab over there." 

"I'm not that cold, and besides, you'll do better if you've got something up against you than if you don't." 

"Something with warm blood maybe!" Hux put his hands on the - remarkably chiseled - chest of the vampire he was sharing space with and pushed hard. 

Slayer strength prevailed, and Kylo Ren stumbled across the crypt, landing hard against the stone slab he'd been compared to just a moment before. Hux glared out from under his well shaped eyebrows. 

"I don't need a vampire blanket." 

"Fine," Kylo Ren stood up and a glare settled across his features. "I'll be leaving then." 

"The demons are still out there," Hux pointed out irritably. 

"Yeah, well, I'll end them or they'll end me." 

Hux rolled his eyes. While the vampire did have a tendency for fighting on the side of right from time to time, he also had an ego the size of Starkiller High. 

"Don't be an idiot, Ren." 

It _was_ damnably cold, unseasonably so, and equally regionally unlikely. Snow had been threatened in the last week and Hux was not looking forward to patrolling in snow boots. With any luck the Vampires would stay in their crypt, but with his luck his watcher, Mr Snoke, would insist on him going out and doing a round anyway. 

Ren had turned in the doorway to the crypt and he was regarding Hux as if he were a fly rather than a reasonably accomplished slayer. 

"You'd suddenly rather stay in here and huddle for warmth?" 

"No," Hux scorned that idea, even as his body reacted to the idea of pressing up against Kylo Ren. But not here where it was so absurdly cold. It would be like huddling for warmth with a statue. "No, if you go out there and get yourself killed, that doesn't do me any good." Keep it about staying alive and not about the fact that he really wanted Ren to stay around. "We need a plan." 

"I have a plan," Ren shrugged. "Go out. Fight. Go home." 

Hux chose not to dignify this 'plan' with a response, turning on his heel instead and crossing the crypt back towards the end opposite the door. It was not the largest mausoleum in the cemetery, but thankfully it was one with some space in it and apparently Ren had used it before, because it wasn't filled to the brim with spiders, dried leaves, and whatever else tended to collect in neglected mausoleums. 

"A distraction." 

"What?"

"We need a distraction. We distract the demons, and then we fight them when they aren't expecting it."

"Nobody ever expects the Slayer inquisition?" Ren responded wryly.

Hux ignored this burst of perceived wit from his companion instead putting his mind to what they had available to them in the crypt. Unfortunately, the answer to that was 'not much'.

He considered whether there was any help to be expected from Phasma or Mitaka but the answer to that was equally no. While Phasma was captain of the wrestling team and surprisingly useful fighting vampires and demons for someone with no supernatural abilities, she was also away on a wrestling match and so far as Hux knew wasn't back until tomorrow. Mitaka was a lot more use in the library on research game than he ever was in the field, and really calling him to ask him to come out here was just asking for dead best friend, so Hux put that notion away. Besides which, he wasn't certain he was going to get a signal enough for even a text. The crypts tended to be murder on cell phone reception - like bones were a cell phone barrier or something. 

The demons were still there, however, and Hux could have sworn the temperature had gotten colder in the past five minutes. Kylo Ren was unfortunately correct about the goosebumps on his arms. He was cold, and also Kylo Ren was little help for warmth. Vampires were by nature cold. If Ren wasn't a vampire, Hux might have decided to just settle in for the night, using the excuse to press up against those abs and enjoying the entire process, but Ren was a vampire, which increased the problematic aspects of that desire in nearly every way they could be increased. 

He pushed those thoughts to the side. They were of no use in this moment, and really were of no use in general. Hux almost certainly had not been thinking for the last two months just how attractive Ren was. Vampires weren't meant to be as attractive as Ren. Well, all right, there was the legend and the myth of Dracula who was very seductive, or at least it was always played that way in the books, but in reality Hux suspected he was nothing like the myths, and in Snoke's Watcher books, the ones Hux had waded through anyway, it seemed that he wasn't really like the films. Nor did most vampires even care for Dracula, but Ren seemed to have an odd obsession with him, claiming that he was sired by Dracula's line, and constantly dressed as if he were ready for a night at the symphony in the nineteenth century without any irony whatsoever. 

Hux turned, his eyes looking over Ren who tonight, as with many other nights, was dressed in romantic finery, his dark hair curled with a level of volume that seemed impossible to get naturally. He narrowed his gaze on the vampire. 

"I've got an idea."

Ren turned, obviously skeptical. 

"Take off your clothes." 

"Have you gone mad?" Ren was staring at him intently. 

"We need a distraction, do you have a better idea?"

"You mean, a better idea than me getting naked? I'm a vampire, demons aren't going to be interested in -" 

"Do you know what type of demons those are?" Hux pointed out. "They're frequently referred to in the literature as sirens for a reason, they have a tendency to pull in attractive people, of which you are one -"

"You think I'm attractive," Ren smirked. 

Hux ignored the flush that pulled up on his pale skin at Ren's smirk and continued on. "You're a vampire so they won't have the same effect on you that they'd have on me, but you walking out in their midst naked, is likely to distract them, and then I can sneak up behind them and fight them without worrying about being pulled into their wiles or whatever." 

"So you want me to be naked, walk out there and distract them while you come along behind them and knock them out with a stick or whatever. That's your plan." 

"That's a little more simplistic than I was going to go for, but yes, generally speaking," Hux sighed. "Also you won't mind the cold as much as me." 

"I'd rather you get naked than me," Ren shrugged, but the shrug moved into a quick removal of his outer jacket. "But all right." 

In truth, Hux had not expected quite such an easy acquiesce to his request, but as he stood there staring, Ren was pulling off his vest, and reaching for the buttons on his shirt. 

Hux's cheeks started to flush again and he turned around to give Ren some privacy, even as he wanted desperately to be able to see if that chest that he could feel underneath all those layers looked as much like Michaelangelo's David as Hux thought that it felt like. 

"You realize if you aren't willing to see me naked, it's going to make it difficult for you to focus on the fighting of the demons," Ren said dryly. 

Hux blinked, and turned around despite himself. 

Ren stood there, in all of his Michaelangelo-esque glory, and Hux couldn't help swallowing back a sudden rush of desire to just go touch that well-formed chest. 

_Focus_. 

"All right, so you'll go out first, and I'll come out behind you. Keep in mind you need to draw their focus, so do something…" Hux waved a hand around. He didn't really know what to tell Ren to do. The truth was that everything he'd thought he'd known about Ren's body paled in significance to the actual fact of Ren's body. The vampire was doubly wide across his shoulders, his chest well formed, there was a smattering of hair across his abdomen that gathered around his bellybutton and then led down straight to… 

_Hux if you don't focus you will be dead_ he told himself sternly, pulling his eyes back up to Ren's face and keeping them there by sheer force of will. 

"Sing a song or dance a dance," he shrugged nonchalant, or at least attempting to appear as if he did not care. 

Ren smirked, and Hux was pretty certain he wasn't buying Hux's lack of interest. "I'll figure out my role, but you have one shot to get them all or you'll be spending the night here with my suit." 

The problem really was that when Ren turned around he was no less distracting. The lines of his back down to his butt was just as fully distracting as was the front of him, and that only showed off his thighs and legs more and Hux stared as Ren exited the crypt. 

But then he was gone and Hux was left alone and Hux realized that Ren was right, and the most interesting part of the vampire was certainly not the Victorian three-piece he'd left on the floor of the crypt.

He shook his head at himself and moved towards the entrance. 

Sticking his head outside of the door allowed himself to clear his head slightly because the night air was colder than the air in the crypt, and it was also much less stuffy. He could see Ren's shadow moving through the mists, but he could see nothing else immediately. Nor did he see any sign that Ren was attempting to draw attention to himself. 

"Damn vampire," Hux cursed under his breath even as he tried to come up with a plan B. At least the suit coat was likely to be wool and probably warmer than the man wearing it would have been. 

Then he heard it floating out of the mist, in a voice that was deep and resonant. 

"Just a small town girl Livin' in a lonely world. She took the midnight train goin' anywhere."

_Journey_? 

Hux knew that he should be moving, but even as he slid outside of the door of the mausoleum he hesitated, and the second followed the first. 

"Just a city boy born and raised in South Detroit. He took the midnight train goin' anywhere."

He shook his head at the new knowledge that Ren was a damn good singer -- not important right now -- what was important was that Ren had without any doubt likely grabbed the attention of everyone in the cemetery right now. And that was precisely the window that Hux needed. He slipped his stake out of the pocket of his leather jacket and moved forward into the night himself.

He had counted six of the demons before they'd been run into the crypt together, him and Ren, and right now he could track at least four of them. That left two - at minimum - unaccounted for, but if he spent his time worrying about that, he'd lose the momentum and element of surprise. 

The first of the demons was an easy slay, as he snuck up behind it and landed a stake easily into the creature's back. 

But that motion wasn't without its danger, and as he heard Ren slide into the last verse of Don't stop believing, he also heard motion in the trees next to him. 

There was demon number five. 

Hux whirled around, landing a roundhouse kick to the demon's shoulders. 

This served only to irritate this demon, and Hux was vaguely aware of the singing stopping behind him, It gave him the head's up he needed to whirl around and kick the slender pale androgynous being creeping up behind him. The second demon landed hard against a gravestone and rolled over it, and Hux turned his attention back to the original demon half hoping the second had been knocked out. 

It wasn't quite quickly enough as a perfectly manicured barefoot caught him in the chest and sent him rolling across the cemetery. His shoulder hit a large oak's trunk hard and Hux groaned, jumping back up to his feet quickly. That was probably going to be a bruise. Some slayers probably didn't have skin pale enough to match the vampires they staked, which was no doubt helpful in keeping them from looking as if they were constantly in fisticuffs. Hux didn't have that luxury. Nearly every PE class was a different bruise and he hated being asked about them considering that the perception he wanted his classmates to have was one of a serious, scholarly, well-behaved gentleman. He used his extra strength to jump over a headstone and finish off the third demon, turning around to face another - a fourth, only in time to see two large hands take the demon's head in them and twist. 

With a crack, the demon's body slumped, and it was tossed aside and Hux found himself face to face with naked Ren, all vamped out, and looking as if he was having far too enjoyable a time. 

"That's three," he snapped, as much to keep himself on track as anything else. "There were at least a half dozen." 

"Two ran," Ren pointed out. "And the fourth -" 

He leapt with dazzling motion, landing on the other side of a large family plot, every muscle beautifully on display, and the fourth demon fought back as if they were going to be able to win this somehow - but they were overly optimistic. They should have run also. Hux ran into the fight, and he and Ren shared punching the demon between them until Ren pushed the demon into Hux's stake.

Hux pushed in, feeling the way it slid into the demon's physiology with weight and satisfaction behind it, and then he pulled it clear, breathless and invigorated. 

He was no longer cold. 

But he had lost two of the demons and Snoke wasn't going to like that. 

And Ren was still standing in front of him naked, very naked, and dammit, beautiful at that. Hux moistened his lips and looked back towards the direction they'd both came. "That worked, didn't it?" 

"Are you wanting a gold metal, or perhaps a star for your chart," Ren seemed bemused, and unbothered by his nakedness as he fell into step beside Hux. "I've done well, Mister Snoke. Please give me a gold star for my chart so I know I've been a good boy." 

There was mockery underneath the words, which probably should have annoyed Hux but his actual reaction to the words was about the furthest thing from annoyed as was humanly possible. 

He'd been trying not to stare at Ren for weeks, and now he turned and stared straight at him. Dracula obsession or not, the vampire was built, and incredibly attractive. If Dracula had truly been this attractive, all those myths about his seductive abilities were probably not myths, actually. 

Hux swallowed, trying not to think about the things that he really wanted to do with the vampire in front of him, or to worry about whether or not Ren could somehow sense that from him. He probably could, because vampires could sense things like heat and heartbeats, and shit. Hux made himself count to ten and tried to purposefully slow down his own breathing and heartbeat even if he couldn't do a thing about the arousal that was making itself very obvious. 

"You need your clothes," he stated flippantly as he made a decision and he turned to start walking towards the entrance of the cemetery. "That looked like an expensive suit, the sort of thing that was either really vintage, or you had made special. Which, you should be aware," he turned, walking backwards for a few moments and looking back at Ren. "Makes you really stand out as 'not of the living'." 

No, turning around to look at him had been a bad idea, and Hux whirled back around eyes straight and front and center. The distraction method had been a great idea and Ren had upped the ante by singing ridiculous eighties power ballads, which indicated the potential for an amazing partnership, but he needed to get dressed and Hux needed to leave. It was nearly midnight and he needed to check in with Snoke and then get home before Sloane got off her night shift. 

"Clothes are overrated," a low voice said to his right. 

"Oh my god," Hux exclaimed, hoping that his indignation was covering the fact that he'd jumped. "It's really rude to sneak up on people." 

"I'm a vampire, don't you expect that sort of thing from my kind?" 

"I expect blood sucking too," Hux glared. "But you never seem to do that to me." 

"Is that a request?" Ren hadn't backed away, and he hadn't put his clothes back on, and now he was staring deeply into Hux's eyes, and fuck everything about Hux's life, the only real response he had was the desire to kiss Ren. 

"No, it is most certainly not a request. Back. Up. I don't kiss naked people." 

"You do miss all the fun then," Ren looked delighted. "But I didn't ask for a kiss." 

Hux flashed a series of swear words through his mind as he realized his slip up. His cheeks were flushed hot, and his ability to save face was rapidly diminishing which meant that somehow he had to get the upper hand here. "Go get your fucking Dracula suit, Ren," he snapped. "You're wandering around the cemetery like an exhibitionist, and you're just a blood sucking demon who is wasting my time." 

Hux had expected some sort of come-back from Ren, but there was nothing and he turned just briefly to see Ren's face having darkened, but not so much with anger as with something else - something that might have been hurt. Hux took off trying not to focus in on that look. 

He was nearly to the entrance of the cemetery and then he could be on with his life. As he turned to exit through the massive stone entrance gates he turned back around despite himself, but Ren was gone, something he hadn't entirely expected. Hux stepped around the corner and for a moment he paused. The air was turning chill again but his cheeks felt incredibly overly hot and stuck in his gut was that uneasy wrinkle that he'd said the wrong thing. 

But Ren was just a vampire and he really shouldn't worry about hurting his feelings. He was a demon. Did vampires even have regular human emotions? 

The thought bothered him more than he wanted to think about and without a second glance into the cemetery he took off, his eyes staying straight ahead, while he focused on getting back and giving a report to Snoke who would almost certainly be waiting in the library. 

Hux knew he should be used to walking through school halls after hours, but for some reason tonight he found himself picking up his pace between the big doors as he hurried down the halls towards the library. The library was the one place in the school that was well lit, although even it did not have all of the lights on, and Hux closed the door tight behind him. 

Snoke was in his office with an ancient looking tome spread out on the desk in front of him and he looked up when Hux came in. 

"Well?" 

Hux turned his head towards the door as if somehow he could avoid telling Snoke about his failures, but he couldn't he knew. He explained about the demons, getting cornered in a mausoleum, Ren's helping him, but how he'd still managed to lose two of them. 

"Are you certain the vampire didn't let them escape?" 

"Yes, I'm sure, he was with me the whole time." 

Technically he'd been off naked and singing Journey part of the time but Hux didn't think he needed to explain about any of that, especially not as the thought of it was teasing his brain with paths he could go down. 

"Hmm," Snoke stood and headed for the tea kettle. "You'll patrol tomorrow night in case they choose to remain in the town limits," Snoke said in his crisp, even tone that allowed for no questioning. 

Which was deeply unfortunate as Hux had a biology exam the day following and he'd already promised Sloane that he wouldn't fail it again. 

"I really have to-"

"We don't want them in town," Snoke repeated. "You'll patrol and make certain they aren't staying in the limits. They can cause all sorts of trouble in the wrong circumstances and we don't need to invite trouble. You should get some sleep now." 

This last statement was said almost kindly. Occasionally Snoke made Hux feel as if he really mattered to the Watcher. Having a father figure that really cared was a novelty. His own had bullied and belittled him until the moment that Hux had realized that he could stand up to it. He hadn't realized then that it was because he would be slaying demons the next year, but even if he had, he would have taken it. The opportunity to live with Sloane, and to be away from his own father was worth more than he could really put words to. 

"Fine," Hux shrugged. Some part of him wondered if the kindness wasn't a manipulation to make certain Hux stayed in line with his Slayer duties, but he was tired enough that he didn't want to argue it. He'd just figure out the biology exam somehow. 

Sloane was asleep and the house dark when he got home, which was just as well. She was pretty cool with letting him do as he needed to, but she didn't know about his night-time extracurriculars, and Hux figured it was easier to keep it that way. He climbed up the treehouse ladder outside his room, transferred from treehouse to tree branch to roof, and slid in through the open window in his room. 

His room was dark, and he sank down onto the window seat, pressing his head back against the wall as he closed his eyes and tried to think through everything at the cemetery without coming back to focusing on Ren's chest. 

It had been so broad though, so strong looking, and his cock just as beautiful as Hux had imagined it would be. Up until the beginning of the school year, he'd had normal fantasies about celebrities, or boys that were undeniably straight and out of his reach. Those were fine. But he was a slayer, and the only thing he was intended to do with vampires, was slay them. Ren was a vampire, so why couldn't Hux stop thinking about him? He could hardly bring a vampire home to Sloane. He could hardly explain to Snoke that he'd fallen for a vampire. 

He leaned forward and pushed the window down to keep the cool air out. He was clearly sleep deprived and that was the only reason why he couldn't stop thinking about Ren's body, or the look in his eyes right before he'd left. He kicked off his trousers, folding them and putting them on top his dresser, and then started unbuttoning his shirt. That was tossed in the hamper and he crawled into bed in his briefs and told himself firmly to put Ren out of his mind. 

That he was keyed up enough, it took a round with his hand to let him relax, was just normal post-slay exhaustion, and nothing to do with Ren, who was most particularly not thought about at all. Not his soft hair, not his chest, not those intense eyes that Hux could see still gazing at him. And he almost certainly did not fall asleep with Journey lyrics wandering through his mind. It had nothing to do with Ren.


	2. Down by the river

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writing time this month has not been spectacular, I'll be honest. But I've got part of the last chapter written, and in theory I know where it's going so it should go quickly when I get the chance to sit down and write. So hopefully before the end of the year. In the meantime - enjoy!

Ultimately Hux had fallen asleep and slept without - thankfully - any dreams that night. He would have overslept the next morning had Sloane not rapped on his door, and then she'd done that thing she sometimes did where she had croissants and coffee for breakfast - something she'd started doing at the start of his senior year - and that had been enough to keep his mind off Ren for breakfast. 

Unfortunately, first period calculus was not interesting enough to grab his attention and hold it so his mind was wandering back to last night in the cemetery and filling in all sorts of less than helpful possibilities about the way the evening could have ended. He was only fortunate that he wasn't called on during the class time because the likelihood of him having answered with Journey lyrics was all too real. As he left the classroom he nearly walked into Mitaka in the hall. 

"What did you do with your hair? You look like shit," Mitaka pointed out. "Are you going to history?" 

"No, the library," Hux knew he ought to be going to history, but even though it was one of his favorite subjects, he was pretty certain his ability to pay attention was going to be similar to calculus and he couldn't manage trying to force himself through another hour of listening to someone talk on and on while his mind ran elsewhere. Skipping felt like the only sane option in the moment, even if he would probably regret it later on. "I need to talk to Snoke." 

"Something last night?" 

"Uh, kinda," Hux slid his notebook into his messenger bag and turned to look at his friend. The fact that Mitaka had mentioned his hair just before he mentioned that he looked like shit, had Hux reaching his hand up to try to push it back. He supposed there was a good chance he'd over gelled it this morning in his distracted state. 

Quietly he filled Mitaka in on getting stuck in the mausoleum with Ren, Ren helping him to distract the demons, and then two of the demons escaping. He left out the part where Ren had done all of this without any clothing. Away from the midnight hour, that whole idea felt as if it had been an insane one. "I've got to patrol again tonight to make certain they've left town." 

"I can help if you want." 

Hux wasn't certain he wanted that help or not. Maybe part of him hoped he'd run into Ren again. Maybe part of him was afraid Ren was mad after their parting the night before. Maybe he really wanted some excuse to see Ren naked again. No, that had most certainly been a terrible idea. He reached his fingers up to massage his temple as he sighed. 

Mitaka was staring at him. "What really happened with Ren?" 

"Nothing happened," Hux snapped. 

"Right," Mitaka stopped him in front of the library doors. "You're not going to history. _History_. Your favorite subject and the one hour every day where you completely get off on knowing more about everyone in the school. And last night you patrolled with Ren who somehow always seems to be around. And this morning you look like you dumped the whole thing of gel on your hair, and you've pale circles around your eyes. What happened?" 

"What happened what?" Phasma stepped up behind Hux, causing him to jump slightly. 

"Hux was about to tell me what happened with Kylo Ren last night that he left out of his story about the demon hunting." 

"Nothing happened," Hux said. "Ren was flippant and annoying, as usual." 

"Hm, and flirty and seductive?" 

Hux whirled on Phasma. "He is a joke who likes to play that he's something mythical and romantic. It's the worst kind of vampire, and I can't understand why I even let him help me." 

Phasma and Mitaka exchanged a glance, it was Phasma who spoke. "You can't?" 

The idea that they might have any idea of how frequently Hux fantasized about Ren brought heat to Hux's cheeks, and he glared at both of them. "Don't you have classes right now?" 

Mitaka relented, but Phasma shrugged. "You know this is my free period, Armitage." 

Hux rolled his eyes and pushed open the library door leaving Mitaka to go to his class and Phasma to follow him in despite his obvious desire to be alone. Snoke wasn't in his office, which was unexpected, but maybe not the worst thing considering that Hux didn't quite know what he was going to say to his Watcher anyway. He crossed the room, dropped his bag on the nearest study table, and headed to the storage cage which was locked, of course, but he had the key. 

Phasma followed him in, but lingered in the door frame in such a way that Hux would have to push to get past her. 

"He is really hot," she said casually. 

"What would you know about that?" Hux turned back to her. "You don't think anyone is hot." 

"Just because I don't want to have sex doesn't mean I cannot objectively appreciate beauty," Phasma returned nonplussed. "And despite his odd quirks, Kylo Ren is a beautiful specimen." 

Hux turned pointedly away and opened a chest filled with axes and knives of various types. If anyone on the school staff knew the sorts of things that Librarian Snoke kept in library, Snoke would likely find himself without a job. Certainly some of them had no place on school property, but here they were, and here they would stay likely. After all, Snoke had to have a job, and Hux was a student here and had use of axes and knives and stakes and crossbows from time to time.

The problem was, of course, that Phasma was right and both of them knew that she was right. It really just came down to whether or not Hux would admit to the fact. Admitting to it would likely lead to a whole other conversation. And while he didn't consider Phasma to be an expert in romance or romantic relationships - Mitaka felt more like someone who would have wild romantic ideas - Hux didn't know exactly who would have such expertise. Certainly not Snoke who was as confirmed a bachelor as ever could be, and the idea of which was repugnant enough to shut down any reasonable conversation. Sloane might have experience, but Hux didn't know of it, and frankly once again had no desire to know of it or to think about it. Phasma had no experience, but was willing to talk. 

Hux turned around and found she was still looking at him. 

"We were stuck in a crypt last night," he sighed. 

"Together." 

"No, on opposite sides of the cemetery. Of course together," Hux sounded more irritable than he really had any right to be. It wasn't as if Phasma were dragging this out of him, he was telling her of his own accord so there was no point to the frustration. "It was freezing cold last night too. This whole snow thing is ridiculous." 

"Yeah, but that doesn't have much to do with getting stuck in a crypt," Phasma's eyebrows raised. 

"He offered to keep me warm, which is ridiculous because he's a vampire and he's hardly warm." 

Phasma didn't say anything at this but when Hux looked over he could practically see the delight churning behind her eyes. 

Hux turned around and scrunched up his face as he tried to figure out what to even say. Finally it all came out in one breath, that they'd been stuck together, his idea to distract the demons, Ren helping him, and when he got to the end, he buried his face in his hands before adding: "And I told him I don't kiss naked people." 

Phasma's eyes were wide as saucers and she looked all too bemused. "You don't kiss naked people? I'm the one who doesn't kiss naked people, and everyone always tries to convince me that it's a lot of fun actually." 

"Will you be serious? He said nothing about kissing, which means I've totally outed myself as wanting to kiss him, and then I think I offended him and I haven't seen him since." 

"It's been less than twenty-four hours," Phasma pointed out pragmatically and she stepped a little further into the storage cage, the smile dropping as she looked at him. "He got naked in front of you?" 

Hux wanted to die. There was no reason he should have told Phasma any of this, the only real relief was that it wasn't Mitaka who would have been at once scandalized and obnoxious. Phasma would at least be practical, even if she had way more questions than any friend had a right to have. His cheeks felt hot and he dug his hand into the wooden chest to pull out a crossbow. He made a show of testing it with an arrow and then turned around. 

"That was what I said, wasn't it?" 

"Was he still naked when you said that?"

"What?" 

"The thing about naked people?"

"What difference does it make?" 

"Maybe all of the, if he was naked, and he didn't run away from you, maybe he didn't hate the idea." 

Hux actually groaned at this. "I should never have told you any of this. Look, it doesn't matter. He's a vampire, I'm a vampire slayer. He's absurd. If he's mad at me, it's probably for the better because I shouldn't be fighting alongside a vampire anyway. I've got history to get to." 

"You're going to be late," Phasma said cheerily as she stepped back outside the storage closet and let Hux push through. 

Hux reached for his messenger bag and waved over his shoulder. "Don't you have homework to do or something?" 

"This is way more interesting," Phasma called after him, and a resounding chorus of 'shhs' came from up in the stacks. "Oh, shut it," she growled up at them, and any further conversation was lost as the library door swung shut behind Hux. 

Hux managed to focus in for the rest of the day. He avoided talking to Mitaka about anything important, instead choosing to bring up Mitaka's mother's interior decorating projects, and finding that Mitaka was happy to gripe about the fact that the kitchen in their house was sitting in the middle of the living room and other woes of long-term interior decorating and redesign. It was also not that interesting to Hux which meant that he was allowed to think. He didn't see Phasma again until PE, but thankfully she was too occupied with her team members - they'd won the match last night - to really bother him about anything. 

He stepped in the shower to wash his hair quick, then dressed again before heading to the library to talk briefly to Snoke before he headed out. 

He stepped into the library and was met with a blast of heat from the radiators that had clearly been turned on earlier in the day. Also in the room, was Kylo Ren. He sat at the table nearest Snoke's office, an old volume spread out in front of him, and Mr Snoke was standing by the copy machine, a cup of tea in one hand, and another volume resting on the top of the machine. 

"Oh, good, Armitage, you're here," Snoke looked up from the volume and stepped across to put tea down on the table. "You didn't mention Kylo Ren was helping you distract them last night." 

Hux's cheeks felt impossibly hot and his gaze jerked to Kylo Ren's. The vampire was dressed immaculately, looking incredibly out of place in a high school library, and yet not out of place with the book in front of him. What had Ren actually told Snoke? 

"Well, I-" 

"It wasn't any bother," Ren's voice was smooth, and only a hint amused. "They weren't expecting a Journey concert." 

"I had no idea you could sing," Snoke raised an eyebrow at Ren. 

Ren shrugged, reaching for a page of the book to turn it. 

"Apparently he's a regular rock star," Hux grumbled. "Are you here for a reason?" 

"Oh, oh yes," Mr Snoke seemed to be pulled back to his thoughts. "Yes, he had some information about our demon friends. You said two escaped, yes?" 

Hux nodded and stepped forward cautiously, his gaze on the book that Kylo had in front of him. "That's right." 

"Well, there is at least one more." 

"What?" 

"They come in sevens," Ren pointed to the text in front of him. "They always come in sevens, it's a superstition thing. That means they'll be headed out tonight to the next town to try to find or make additional ones to fill in the mates they lost, but if we can find them tonight they'll be off their game. Their own psychology and beliefs will work against them and they'll probably be easier to kill." 

"Yes, that's why he's here," Snoke nodded. 

"They'll stay down by the river, and probably follow it out of town to the next one where they'll hope to replenish the group. We should get going, it's sundown." 

"We?" Hux had a terrible sinking feeling in his stomach. He didn't need Ren to do any of this. Three demons could be handled on his own. He'd had to deal with worse. The memories of the night before were still there though, and he had to admit that dealing with it in pairs sounded nicer. "I can call Phasma-"

"Please, we need to head out now or we may miss them, and you know that." Kylo stretched himself to his full height, a good six or seven inches taller than Snoke, and he handed over the book. "Thank you for the information." 

"Hmph," Snoke took the book. "Behave yourself, Ren. Armitage take some weapons with you." 

Hux pressed his lips together and picked up a crossbow as he started towards the door not waiting to see if Ren would follow him. He would, Hux was certain of it, and it was easier to think about demons than to think about the fact that there was a tiny bit of relief in knowing that Ren was here, and apparently was on his way to help him. 

The night air was cold again, but Hux had dressed a little more warmly this time around. Ren was dressed in his typical ridiculous finery and Hux was working very hard to not think about what the vampire had looked like completely undressed. That was certainly not relevant to what they needed to do. He picked up his pace, which considering they were nearly the same height required Ren to also pick up his own pace if he wanted to stay even with him. 

"You know, you're only going to get there about 30 seconds faster even with the insane walk you've got going on now." 

"If you don't want to be here, don't be here," Hux snapped back. "Otherwise, keep up we've got work to do." 

"Will you be needing another distraction?"

Hux didn't need to turn around to see the smirk, he could hear it in the vampire's words. And maybe he shouldn't be so frustrated by it, but it needled, making him wish that the whole evening had never happened. If Ren hadn't been bothering him in the first place he wouldn't have been there, and wouldn't have had to get naked - whatever made him think of that idea? - and this whole evening would not be nearly so humiliating as it was. He turned, reaching out to grab Ren's arm and pull him to a stop as well. 

"Why are you here?" He demanded. "What's your point?"

"I told you, I had additional information -" 

"I could handle three demons by myself. I've handled twice that many before. Why are you really here? I've never asked for your help." 

"And you don't need to. It's offered anyway." 

"Why?"

Ren stepped closer, filling the air between them with his ridiculous finery and his intense gaze. Hux nearly stepped back, but didn't want to give away any part of his ground to Ren in any sense of the word. It left Ren so close that he could reach out and easily take blood from Hux's neck. There was a direct line between them, a current of electricity that Hux could feel and it seemed nearly perfectly balanced. Any change would break the circle, and set off _something_ although what Hux didn't know. In the distance a siren went off, and then was silenced after one cycle. Leaves swirled down the sidewalk, scattering off towards the neighbourhood that started at the next intersection. 

Ren stepped away first, but even as he stepped away and started walking towards the river, he didn't provide an answer to Hux's question. This lack of any response was as unsettling as the moment had been and Hux found himself double stepping to catch up, to get ahead, to simply be in control of the situation even as he knew he wasn't. How could he be when he still wasn't certain what the situation was. 

Neither of them spoke as they approached the river, and it wasn't until they entered the gates of the park that lined it that Ren broke the silence. 

"They'll have likely been staying someplace near the water, but obscured - where they wouldn't be bothered." 

"There's a cave down on the other side of the swingsets. The water's low enough this time of year, that they'd probably be able to get into it." 

Ren stared at him. Hux shrugged. "I found it Freshman year." 

He'd found it Freshman year because a local boy had taken him there and in the half-dark he'd had his first kiss, felt the thrill of another boy's hands on his chest for the first time, and he'd been certain that love would last. And maybe it would have, had he not had to start slaying. By homecoming they'd broken up and his once upon a time forever boyfriend had taken up drama and the only time Hux saw him was on posters for plays and the occasional class crossings they had. 

Ren looked at him for a moment, as if he were expecting some of that story to be shared, but when Hux didn't offer it, Ren seemed to go into work focus. "All right then, you lead the way. We'll check there first." 

Hux nodded, putting aside any questions about what Ren was doing there and giving in to the inevitability that said, yes he was going to be here for the entire fight. He seemed to be here largely to help and not just to give Hux a bad time, and so utilize the resource, just like he'd utilize the crossbow in his hand. It was a tool. Ren was a tool. 

The path down to the cave wasn't obvious and after nightfall it was a little more difficult to find. The brush had grown up over it, maybe fewer people knew about it than used to, regardless it took Hux three tries to find the right place, and then he was able to take the path, which seemed to have eroded slightly from what he remembered, although it may just have been the difference between day and night. Hux crept along it quietly, aware of Ren's presence behind him. 

He stepped over a stone, his foot resting on the earth on the other side, and he felt the path give way out from under him. His heart leapt to his throat as he reached out to grab for anything to keep his stability - a root, tree branch - his hand found Ren's larger hand and the vampire's fingers closed around Hux's and pulled him back to that stone which remained stable as the earth skittered out on the path down into the river. 

"Thank you," Hux managed, his heart still pounding. 

Ren didn't let go of him immediately and despite his intention to not treat Ren as anything other than a tool, Hux held on. If he was strictly only using Ren as he might have a root or tree branch, he could have let go, but despite the coolness of the skin under him, there was something comforting about having another person to hold onto. 

"Let me go," Ren spoke softly after a moment. "If I fall down there I'm not going to drown." 

Hux frowned at this, but he let Ren go. The vampire leapt the distance over the now missing path and landed steadily and near silently on the other side. He turned around, stepped back a few steps and nodded to Hux. 

Hux pulled his breath in and followed. The leap wasn't that difficult, and Ren's hand was on his as he landed there. Hux did shake it off this time. Hux didn't need Ren thinking that he couldn't handle things - despite the event of the moment before he could. 

The rest of the distance, admittedly short, was traversed without difficulty and as they approached the cave, Hux could hear the voices inside it. They were shrill, not particularly enticing, but this was the demons on their turf and not trying to pull or draw anyone into them. Hux looked at Ren, and the two shared a glance. Ren pulled up his hands, using them to explain a course of action that seemed to involve Hux entering and Ren being his back-up coming in to surprise the three. It was, in some ways, a repeat of what they'd done before, but without the actual distraction of nakedness. Hux wondered if they would fall for it again, but in theory there were only three and they'd managed to get four that way the night before. And to be perfectly fair to Ren he didn't have any other ideas. 

He nodded acquiescence, and pulled out the crossbow. If he could remember correctly, there was a bit of a lip on the cave. The cave itself wasn't huge so he could, if he was quiet as he moved, use that lip and his crossbow to end one of the demons before they realized anyone was there, which would leave them with two and that was one each. If he and Ren couldn't handle one each, then they should just go home and not try anymore. 

The ground was moist, packed dirt, which made it easier to creep forward silently, but the darkness was going to work against him. He pulled out his crossbow, loading it before he went very far into the entrance. As he drew nearer he could see that a small lantern was burning in the center of the room, casting light. The three demons were there, arguing about the best direction to go from here. Hux pursed his lips together and measured them all considering the easiest one to directly kill with one shot from this distance and the one most likely to cause trouble in hand-to-hand. He brought the crossbow up, and aimed for the heart of the tallest of the demons, directly in front of him. He wasn't the most muscular, but it was unlikely that Hux was going to miss that shot, which meant it made the most sense. 

The whisper and zing of the crossbow reverberated through the cave, and the remaining two demons stared as their comrade started, eyes wide, and then fell forward into the lantern, knocking it off of its perch and leaving it sideways. 

_Shit_ , Hux couldn't help but think. That wasn't going to be ideal, because who knew what the lantern was burning on. The demons seemed to have the same idea, because they both bolted towards the entrance of the cave, even with the danger of Hux lurking there.

"Ren!" he managed to get through his lips as a warning even as he himself turned back towards the entrance, survival instinct kicking in, without him taking time to consider how this could play out. 

The lantern had been burning on some sort of gas, and the spread of the flames across that gas was instant, and as Hux burst from the edge of the cave, he could hear a piercing scream of one of the demons, even as the other burst from the cave. In the moonlight, it was a pale wisp of a thing, that might have been mistaken for an angel if not for the sharp teeth protruding from its lips. 

Hux had no idea if the flames would spread beyond the mouth of the cave, but as he reached out to grab the final demon, he felt himself being pulled with it. The monster was jumping for the water below, and it had reached out to grab him in. 

_Shit_. 

The water knocked the breath out of him first by impact, and then by temperature. Hux fought his way back up to the surface trying not to allow himself to be distracted by either even though some latent part at the back of his mind recognized that this was really, _really_ bad. The demons were known to be naturals in water, and while Hux could swim, he'd just drastically reduced his own chances of being able to take out the demon, not only that, the demon's abilities to call people were still a part of the picture. This combined with the weight of his coat and shoes, and the cold of the water - even with slayer strength he was struggling. 

"Fuck," he muttered to himself, kicking off his shoes and trying not to think about the fact that they'd been designer boots he'd gotten an amazingly good price for. The coat came next, because as cold as he was, the weight was worse. The crossbow had been knocked out of his hands as he'd been pulled, so presumably it was on the bank, or had fallen into the river near the bank - either way, it was no longer a tool he had. And he reached for his pants, prepping to drop under the water as he kicked them off. 

He was left with a sweater and a t-shirt when he bobbed to the surface again and he desperately looked around hoping to find the damn demon and end it before he headed back to the banks. His teeth were chattering, and so he started swimming back towards the edge of the water, trying to keep his muscles from locking up completely. 

Two out of three wasn't so bad really, and Snoke would probably rather he live than die because he couldn't give up the third. Probably. Snoke was a slave driver at times. He was so fucking cold. Why did it have to be the water this time of year. 

"Hux? Hux!?" 

Ren was there. Or had been there. What had happened to Ren? Had he been knocked in the water as well? Maybe he'd managed to actually get the damn demon. If he'd caught the crossbow, it might have been possible for Ren to have shot him. Vampire night vision and all that. Hux kicked his legs, but he could feel it getting harder to do. Was the water getting higher around him? The edge. The water was colder than he'd been anticipating, and he needed to get there. 

His strokes felt clumsy, and he thought stupidly that there was no way he was going to pass PE with this sort of motion. He needed to get back to the side and get out of the water, and the banks were tall enough, that Hux wasn't certain that even if he reached the banks that he would be able to get out of the water. 

No, he had slayer strength. He could do it. Focus on the first, then the second. He kicked his legs, although it didn't feel as if the result was as much as he had been hoping for. It didn't seem as if he'd moved forward hardly at all, and his legs felt heavy even though he'd slid off his boots. 

"Fuck's sake Hux, you've got to stop asking me to take my clothes off," the low voice was in his ear, warm and intense, and almost dreamlike. 

Hux tried to move again, and as the water slid up past his lips, he felt something buoy him up underneath his arms. 

"Stay with me," Ren commanded. 

"Will," Hux mumbled, or tried to, although he wasn't certain his lips moved. Ren's voice was the last thing Hux heard before his eyes drifted closed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Join me on [tumblr](http://jedihafren.tumblr.com/) if you want, and we can yell about Solo children and Kylux together.


	3. Breakfast.

_The hand was offered to him, accompanied by a smirk, and an intense gaze. The gentleman who had offered it just as the string quartet played in the corner was almost certainly intending for Hux to dance with him. In the back of his mind something screamed that two men couldn't dance together like this, not in this sort of setting, but he took the hand anyway, and those on the ballroom floor seemed to part before them, seemingly nonplussed by what they saw._

_Perhaps this was Ren's domain, a large room with beautifully arched windows that allowed the moonlight to fall through. Across the room, torches and candelabras provided a warm glow that filled the entire space punctuated by a giant fireplace at one end of the space. That fireplace might be tall enough that Hux and Ren could walk into it with space left over to spare but it was filled with a roaring fire and enough heat that even those that stood near did not stand too near . The music was unlike anything Hux had ever heard before, a waltz maybe, but not one he was familiar with, yet the steps fell into place with a natural ease he had never felt before on any dance floor._

_Ren's hand was gentle in his while the strength of his arms was calming, rather than threatening. He held Hux around the waist and together they swirled amongst other couples._

_"You're beautiful together," one woman offered as they swirled pass. She was an older woman, much shorter than either of them, and there was a determination in her eyes that seemed to match that Hux was used to from Ren._

_Ren pulled him closer, and he leaned into the touch. "I've got you," Ren whispered in Hux's ear. "I've got you."_

The music faded away as Hux was pulled back into reality, but the crackling of a fireplace remained. He blinked, the cool light of the stars and the warm light of the candelabras had faded into something else that seemed to be only the warm light. 

"There you are," Ren's voice was low and intense near his ear. 

Hux pulled his eyes fully open and turned his head. Ren was beside him, his gaze intently on Hux, and he reached out his fingers to feel Hux's own hand. 

"Move your fingers," Ren commanded. "All of them." 

Hux tried to not only move his fingers, but to sit up, but found he felt heavy and uncertain if he could, so he returned to focusing on the motion of each knuckle as he asked: "Where am I?" 

"Good," Ren avoided his question for a moment, and then he stood, with his knee seeming to push the chaise lounge that Hux was laying on further towards the fireplace. 

The fireplace, like the one in his dream, was huge, taking up almost all of one side of the wall. The room was also tremendous, not unlike the one in his dream, but more desolate in decor. Where the dream had felt like the ballroom in _Beauty and the Beast_ , eloquent and full of beauty, this space felt like the castle must have during all those years before Belle came. Hux tried moving his fingers again and found that they worked more easily this time. He frowned, and shifted his effort into moving, finding his strength so he could put his weight on his elbow and push himself upright.

"Where am I?" He asked again.

"My place," Ren responded this time. He'd disappeared and now that he had returned it was with a mug of something. "Drink this," he commanded. 

"It's not blood is it?" 

Ren raised an eyebrow. "What do you think?" 

Hux pushed himself fully into a sitting position, propping his back against the lounge as he tested reaching out for the mug. His arms seemed to hold it, in fact, whether Slayer accelerated healing, or the warmth from the blazing fire was to blame they seemed to be gaining strength with each passing moment. He wrapped his hands around the warmth of the mug, and let it seep in. It felt good, and now that it was in front of him he could see that it was in fact, not blood, but rather a broth of some sort. It reminded him of home. 

He tentatively took a sip and closed his eyes and smiled as the savory warmth spread down his throat. "Beef tea," he murmured, and glanced up to Ren. 

Ren nodded. 

Hux had memories of his mother making the beverage when he had been just a boy, before his father had split and moved them both to the States, but he hadn't had it since. Not even Sloane knew how nice it could be when you were cold. Granted, there weren't so many times he ended up cold like this. 

He took another sip, a larger one this time, now that he knew what it was and tried to regain his memories of what had happened. He'd fallen into the river along with one of the demons. He frowned. 

"The remaining demon?" 

"Trust you to worry about that more than the fact that you nearly drowned," Ren returned dryly. "I tried to get a clear shot but at first I was afraid I'd hit you, and then I was afraid I'd lose you." 

Hux remembered being calm enough to take off his boots and coat and try to swim to shore, but he didn't remember much after that other than that he didn't remember the shore. "You pulled me out," he glanced up to Ren. 

The vampire was standing in front of him with hair still clumped in wet curls around the base of his neck, wearing no shirt, only a pair of dark trousers that seemed unlike anything Hux usually saw him wear. It occurred to him that perhaps he only dressed like Dracula out of his crypt and not when he was in his home. 

As soon as he'd had that thought - this wasn't a crypt, but it did feel like - "you brought me back to your place?" 

Ren hadn't moved, he was still watching him. "I know Snoke has tea at the library, but I didn't figure it'd be as easy to get you warm there." 

Hux looked away from Ren and back into the cup of tea, heart pounding. He was in Ren's - whatever this was. It looked nearly like a castle, but there wasn't any castle near the town that Hux knew of, so trust Ren to find the largest mcmansion that most resembled a castle and live in that. Or maybe even remodel it so that it did look like Dracula's castle on the inside. That sounded like exactly the sort of thing Ren might do. He took another sip of the tea. 

“Are you warming up?” Ren asked, and there was undeniable concern in his voice. 

“I think so,” Hux nodded, his mind screaming against the concern, and he tried not to focus on that, but instead on how he felt physically. He did feel warmer. His fingers felt less like stiff twigs and more like fingers should feel, and his legs as well. He’d fingered the warmth of the soft blanket that seemed to be pulled up over him. Ren had pulled off his shirt and sweater and they were currently resting over a quilt stand near the fire. 

_I was afraid I'd lose you._

Ren's words floated back through Hux's mind. Ren had jumped in after him, and while they'd established earlier in the evening that Ren couldn't drown, it certainly hadn't been something he'd had to do. He was a vampire and Hux was a vampire slayer. It made no sense to jump in to save someone whose sworn life duty was to slay your kind. Hux wrapped his fingers around the mug, his legs shifting. He could feel the softness of the blanket against his skin reminding himself that his trousers were at the bottom of the river. Ren had brought him here just like this. 

"I should get back to the library - Snoke will worry." His words sounded as if they were coming from very far away, and he stopped trying to give any other reasoning as he stared down into the remaining beef tea. How long had he been out? How had Ren known this was the right thing to make? He swallowed. 

"You shouldn't move until you're completely warm," Ren said, still too close. 

While there was no warmth to feel from the Vampire himself, Hux was very aware of his proximity, and the flush of warmth that filled his neck and cheeks at the low voice near his ear.

"I'm much warmer. I can get up as soon as I finish this," Hux pulled determination into his voice. The uncertainty about what he was feeling was being pushed into being bossy, which was a habit from when he was a younger boy. It had done him no favors on the playground, but he had always told himself being in control was better than having friends, and so far nothing had challenged that belief. Even right now, if being in control risked angering Ren. 

"Will you relax and let someone take care of you for five minutes?" Ren's voice held irritation. "You nearly drowned, and you were cold enough that if you were anyone other than you were, you would probably be in a hospital with hypothermia. Drink your tea and I'll get you some more." 

"I didn't ask you to come after me," Hux pointed out, a rush of embarrassment that he'd needed any sort of rescuing. He was supposed to be able to handle himself, and he was supposed to be self-reliant, and -

"You would have died," Ren moved so that his face was directly in front of Hux. "You would have died and then who knows how this town would end up without its own slayer?"

Hux frowned, reaching for anger to keep back the rush of desire to lean forward and test how soft those full lips truly were. "Why do you care? You're a vampi-"

"Because you keep this town stable. You create order here. Without you, I have to deal with that alone. And without you, I don't have the inspiration to." 

"Inspiration?" 

Hux met Ren's gaze, thoroughly confused.Ren was supposed to be a vampire, not someone who was inspired to turn against his own kind, and certain he wasn't supposed to be inspired by a vampire slayer. Nothing in the past week had made sense, and Hux was left uncertain whether it was the near brush with death, or just everything, that left him feeling so foggy. But there was something about Ren's gaze that was drawing heat up that had nothing to do with the blanket or the fire or anything else. This was like the heat that he'd felt the other night in the cemetery, the heat he'd been running from because it didn't make any logical sense. But right now he didn't have the strength yet to run from it." 

"Yes, inspiration," Ren persisted. "That's you." 

Hux had to consciously think to pull air into his lungs. Ren had pulled him out of a river, seemingly because Hux was some sort of muse for him, which was absurd. Then again, the only thing that seemed to make any sense right now was how soft Ren's eyelashes looked, framing those intense brown eyes, and the way his curls were falling across his forehead, slowly drying enough to look soft and touchable in places and Hux wanted to reach out his hand to comb his fingers through them, and give them the air they needed to dry more completely. 

He moistened his lips with his tongue and he reached his fingers up. Why try to make sense of anything other than the moment directly in front of him? One of Ren's curls separated, a wet strand breaking apart under his touch while the dry hair in front was just as soft as he suspected it would be. 

The nearly empty mug of beef tea was in one hand, and he was half aware of the need to do something with it as Ren closed the distance between their lips. Never before had Hux understood the romantic allure of vampire literature. Critically he could think of erotica undertones of something like Dracula and illusions to sexuality and desire and the ability to simply give into those even if they were outside of societal norms. If you'd asked him, he could have likely sourced an essay on it, and gotten a strong grade in the writing of it, but he hadn't thought of them as being real things. If anything, he'd considered the notion laughable. But at this moment all of those stories and legends made sense in a way they'd never made before. Ren was kissing him and all he wanted was more and if it involved a solitary castle in a dark wood, Hux would go there, and he would stay in Ren's lair willingly and forever. It didn't feel like darkness and death, instead like the tantalizing possibility of immortality. 

Hux made a sound in the back of his throat, one that was more or less swallowed up by Ren as Hux's fingers slid deeper into Ren's hair, ignoring the cold feel of still wet stands, and focusing on weaving through the dry ones. He leaned further into Ren's body, until the clank of china brought both of them out of the kiss, leaving Hux breathless as Ren pulled back long enough to move the cup to the floor, and then he was back, one knee on the sofa as he leaned in, and Hux reached a hand up around his neck to pull him back in. 

The muscles under his fingers were strong, and if they were in a fight, Hux knew that it would be a fight for his life. Ren was strong and capable, but instead of killing him, he'd helped him. Instead of wanting Hux dead, he'd called Hux his inspiration. A greedy whimper bubbled up from somewhere inside him, and he was being kissed again, and despite the cool feeling of the vampire's skin under his touch, despite the near hypothermia he'd likely experienced, Hux felt as if he were on fire. 

The lips pulled back from his lips and he protested this until those same lips seemed to find his jawline, and to kiss their way down his neckline while Hux's fingers were slid through the hair as if he were capable somehow of providing guidance while he wondered if he'd slid back into his dream. 

"Stay with me," Ren whispered against Hux's collarbone. 

The flicker of a memory of being held up by this man and pulled out of freezing waters slid across his mind. The command was the same, the implication of what it meant different, and for an instant Hux wondered if he had died, been turned, been brought back to Ren's world forever, and every part of him that should care about that did seem dead. 

Hux shifted so that he could pull Ren's lips back to him to return the kiss that he was being given with a certainty of knowing that this was precisely what he wanted, so that Ren would know it too. If he had always been bossy because of uncertainty, this was a demand from another place. If he had admitted to himself that he wanted the body in front of him and that he was attracted to this vampire when he shouldn't be; If he were a cliche from an Anne Rice novel then he would live within the constraints of that, so long as the cliche meant living with these arms around him. 

Ren's response to Hux's request was a needy rumble, nearly a growl, and his weight shifted away from Hux. Hux was about to protest this, when he found an arm under his legs, another behind his back, and Ren was lifting him up, blankets and all, and his lips pulled back so that Hux was left with dark eyes with a surprising intensity staring directly into his, laying bare every desire that was pulsing through him. Ren stepped back, Hux sliding his arms around Ren's neck, fingers snaking up the back of Ren's neck to find his curls. 

He was a fucking cliche, a fucking bridal carry cliche, and instead of protesting it, he was leaning into it, and maybe tomorrow he would care about that, but right now he just wanted every moment of it, the blanket trailing off his legs as if it were a fucking bridal gown. It was ridiculous and absurd, and Hux wanted it with an intensity that he'd never wanted anything before. He buried his face into Ren's neck, breathing in the smell of him, and focusing instead of on the cliche, on how certain he felt about this. 

Ren's stairs were a long curved staircase that belonged in an old Hollywood movie more than a gothic castle, but the bedroom at the top of the stairs with the huge four poster bed, tapestries, and diamond paned windows was almost certainly straight from a Victoria Holt novel. The bed was far further off the ground than Hux had ever seen one, and when he was laid on it, he took a moment to breathe even if his glance around the room ended with his eyes focusing back to Ren and the certainty he offered. 

He sat up, reaching his hand out for Ren and the vampire smiled and stepped up a small stool beside the bed. Ren crawled forward into the bed next to Hux, and as his fingers slid up under the edge of Hux's shirt, pulling it up so that it could be brought over his head, leaving him stripped bare to Ren's gaze, Hux was breathing around Ren's touches once again. Featherlight touches against his abdomen, and rib cage, and then came the lips trailing kisses from his bellybutton up the center of his chest, and then they found a nipple. 

Hux breathed in, his hips shifting to try to find purchase against something, as Ren's tongue swirled that nipple gently, and while one hand seemed to be seeking control as it grabbed the sheets and held on, the other had found the back of that neck, trying to encourage this to continue. 

Ren was warmer than Hux would have ever imagined he could be. Vampires weren't supposed to hold the warmth of the living, but as one leg slid against his, and he could feel Ren's cock hard against his thigh as if it were claiming something. "Please," he breathed out. He didn't beg. Armitage Hux didn't beg dammit, but right now all he wanted was Ren to keep doing what he was doing, to keep touching him. For him to be able to shift and find Ren's leg for his own cock to press against, hot and needy through his briefs. 

Ren pulled back then, his eyes blown wide and vulnerable. Nobody had ever looked at Hux this way, and there was a very real possibility that he was going to drown tonight yet, but not in any river. 

"I want you," Ren's voice was low and intense. "I want to be inside you."

Hux's cock twitched in response to this request. Ren's voice was seduction all its own and somehow it seemed obvious and fated that a vampire should be his first. 

"Ren, please," he caught his gaze, his hand reaching for Ren's neck to pull him down. Hux took a breath as if he were plunging into water, and then his lips found Ren's and together they went under, and despite the risk of all of it Hux knew that he'd be safe.

It was perhaps impossible that he might have stayed awake after that undoing, and so Hux had fallen asleep in Ren's arms, and at some point Ren must have covered him with a blanket, for when he awoke again he was covered, warm in a bed, and there was the crackling of a fire nearby again. Perhaps that should have alarmed him, but instead he shifted and found that there was a fireplace on the far wall of the room, and it was burning brightly. Ren must have started it. 

_Ren._

Memories marched back into place, and Hux's cheeks flushed from heat that had nothing to do with the warmth from flames far across the room. He shifted again, and realized that Ren was next to him, watching him intensely. 

"Hey," he said softly, gathering enough agency to speak although he didn't know what he really should say. What did you say after you slept with someone? What did you say after you slept with a vampire in particular? This was a first in every way it possibly could be, and anxiety was working overtime to cool the flush in his cheeks. 

Ren's intensity softened, and there was a smile at his lips. "You're beautiful with your hair all mussed." 

Hux's hand came up to his hair, smoothing it, despite what Ren had just said. This served only to make the smile deepen. 

"Do you want food? Or tea?" 

Hux couldn't remember the last time he'd been cared for quite like this, and he wanted it, even as his mind seemed to be working overtime to remind him that this wasn't appropriate behavior for a vampire slayer. "Did you sleep?" He asked instead, avoiding the question. That didn't quite make sense as it was night, and vampires didn't sleep during the night did they? It was the only time they could walk around freely. 

"I made the fire, and I went out briefly in case you wanted breakfast. I don't have much in the house that I can work from - at least not unless you want my preferred cocktail of pig, cow, and a hint of rabbits blood." 

The words were dry and almost self deprecating, but they hit Hux suddenly: _Ren's preferred cocktail didn't involve human blood._

"I don't think that's me, no," he said carefully. 

But then curiosity was growing. What had Ren brought back? He'd gone out of the house to a store to get food for Hux? Just because he thought he'd be hungry when he woke? He pushed himself up to a sitting position, tamping down on a wince as his body reminded him ferociously of places stretched before he'd been asleep.The blankets were still draped over his lap but now he was looking down at Ren who was still lying where he'd been. When their eyes met, there was uncertainty in Ren's eyes, or at least that's what it felt like. Hux wanted to bring back the comforting surety of the moment before. 

"You got me food," he queried. 

"Yes," Ren responded, and he sat up as well. Now their eyes were even, staring into each other. "You haven't eaten since the night before, outside of the beef broth, which while warm, isn't going to be satisfying this morning. I brought some yogurt, and some berries, and there's a pastry or two. I didn't know if you would prefer eggs and meat, but it's been a while since I've cooked anything so, I was afraid that I might not do them justice." 

Hux stared. The thought that had obviously gone into the choices that the vampire had made was clear, and he swallowed, bewildered. 

It would be a lie to say that he'd never thought about what having sex might be like. He was a teenage boy after all, and he'd imagined it before, although he'd sometimes tried not to spend much time on it, recognizing that the fact that he was a slayer, and his personal preferences were going to both add extra dimensions to trying to navigate intimate relationships with anyone. He'd never thought about sex with a vampire prior to Ren, they were the enemy and you didn't sleep with the enemy. But then there was Ren, who despite all of the ways Hux had tried to push him back, had crept up next to him anyway. 

And maybe Hux had dismissed him so completely because he'd been afraid of something else entirely. He couldn't deny that this was a possibility. 

But on those times when he'd allowed himself to dream of it, while the man in question might have been nameless and faceless and usually was, it hadn't been unlike this - being brought into something with words voiced, and care given, and being cleaned up gently in the aftermath and falling asleep in strong arms, and then a morning after with tea and breakfast and words that portrayed the emotion they each felt for the other. 

He took a deep breath. But he didn't love Ren. Did he love Ren? 

"Do you have black tea?" He asked, his head tilting to Ren. "Black tea and the things you mentioned sound good." 

Ren's expression relaxed somewhat, and he stood up. "I'll be right back, don't move," he told Hux eagerly, almost like a child rather than the fully grown multiple centuried vampire he was. 

He was certainly going to have a story to tell Phasma. 

Except he was almost certainly _not_ telling Phasma. 

But would she know? Phasma always seemed to just _know_. 

With Ren gone, Hux dropped his head to his hands and let the thoughts run rampant. There were questions about whether Snoke would know, or Phasma would or Sloane even. Sloane didn't know a lot of things, so surely this would fall into the category of things she wouldn't realize or ask about, but sometimes she surprised him. But questions about what others would think eventually cooled into questions about himself. Did he want to stay and have breakfast? Yes. Did he want something like what had just happened to happen again? Emphatically yes. (Did this make him a terrible slayer? And did he really care in this moment? No. No, he didn't.) Did he find himself wanting to know more about what Ren was thinking? Yes, also. And the only way to do that was to stay and to ask questions, to be as persistent in that as he would be in hunting down a demon, only this was a demon he didn't want to kill, just one he wanted to keep. 

He pushed himself up, more carefully this time, but even slow movements wouldn't completely do away with the pinch of muscles, a reminder that suddenly left him feeling as if he'd made a mistake. He shouldn't want to keep a vampire. No vampire, not even one whose typical cocktail did not involve human blood. Ren was a vampire yet, even if he was a 'generally decent' one, and there was no proof - none really - that he was always decent. Just to say he typically ate a diet of didn't mean he didn't occasionally treat himself to human blood did it? Prizes for special occasions? 

Hux's fingers flew up to his neck searching for any marks that might be out of the ordinary, any sign that he'd been bitten or turned, and he just didn't remember it. His neck felt smooth, so he reached for the shirt, throwing it on over his shoulders, and buttoning it up before trying to find his briefs. He didn't have trousers though, so he'd have to take some. But he needed to get out of here before he made more mistakes. 

"Hux?" 

Hux froze and turned around. Ren was standing in the doorway, a tray of food and tea in his hands, and his brows had pulled together in concern. 

"What are you doing?" 

"What are you doing?" Hux turned the question back to Ren. "What is this? I'm not going to stop hurting friends of yours just because you fucked me. I have a job, and I can't get distracted from that." 

Rey stepped into the room, scowl darkening momentarily, something dangerous flashing in his eyes. 

"You think I fucked you to get something from you?" Ren snapped, but his voice cracked as he finished the sentence, and when Hux met his gaze, there was something in his eyes that made him stop. 

"Why would -" He faltered. 

"Because you're you," Ren took a step forward, intensity in his gaze. "Because I can't stop thinking about you. Because the only thing I want to do is keep you. And I know I can't. And I know it's foolish, because I'm good, but you're really good, and probably you could kill me, and should. But I don't care. I want you here. I want you close to me, and if you slide a stake into my heart, I will go having held you." He waved a hand at the tray. "I can't eat any of that. I brought it for you." 

Hux had to intentionally remind himself to breathe. The fear was still clawing at him, but it was being countered by something more. It was the same feeling he'd had last night, of something being brought full circle - something being completed. 

"You could kill me," he whispered. 

Ren nodded. "I wouldn't though. I don't want to. And I trust you. I want to work with you." 

Hux dropped his gaze from Ren, his eyes falling to the tray. There was a cup of tea on a saucer, a small pitcher of cream, a selection of pastries on a plate, and the entire thing was laid out. Ren hadn't been gone so long, but he'd taken the time to make the presentation look beautiful. Hux took a step backwards, backing into the edge of the bed and he pulled his breath in. 

"You want to work with me." 

"You need back-up," Ren hadn't stepped closer to him, although Hux could almost feel that he wanted to. "You need someone to watch your back and pull you out, like the other night. Or the night before that when you needed someone to help you distract. You need a partner, Hux. Vampire slayers die because they work alone, and vampires and demons don't always. You need me." 

Hux looked up at that. There was truth to it. Snoke had remarked at one point on how, while he didn't like it, Phasma and Mitaka had likely helped to keep Hux on the right side of things more than once. Perhaps it was why Snoke also tolerated Ren's presence. Regardless, Hux could see the truth of what Ren was saying. 

They were a good partnership. 

"I'm not used to working with people," Hux protested, but he could feel the lack of resolve in his words. 

"I'm not a person." 

"You know what I-" Hux stopped and let out his breath in something that was a cross between a laugh and an exasperated sigh, but he was smiling. 

"No one's ever brought me breakfast in bed." 

"You're not in bed," Ren pointed out, the corner of one of his lips smirking up. "I was trying to do that, but you're being difficult." 

"I have a habit of that," Hux couldn't take his gaze from Ren's face, despite the fact that bare arms and chest were really appealing. 

"I've noticed," Ren took a step forward. 

Hux followed his lead, but doing likewise, closing the distance between them slightly more. "I'm likely to continue, you know habits are hard to break." 

Ren hummed. 

"And I've never had a partner before, or any sort." 

"I know," Ren reached out his hand for Hux's, and pulled him in. 

"I'm likely to be a terrible one, yelling all the time and demanding things." 

"I sincerely hope so," Ren's voice was low. 

Ren's gaze was pulling Hux in, doing funny things to his stomach that made him wonder if he was going to be able to eat any of the pastries. 

"Last night will be difficult to beat," he said softly. "As a partnership I mean." 

"I'm up for the challenge," Ren told him, and he lifted his other hand up to Hux's neck, sliding fingers along his bare skin. "If you'll trust me and have me." 

Hux leaned forward, and their lips met again, the kiss a promise of what might be in the future, and Hux's emotions soaring in a spectacular display of hope he was too terrified to hold onto, so he let it go. Ren's hand let go of his fingers, and then it was around his waist, and Ren had picked him up again, sliding him back onto the bed. 

Hux didn't protest. 

For one to have a partner and a lover that one fixed one breakfast in bed, one did, after all, have to be in bed.


End file.
